Passover recipes to celebrate the festival of freedom's sweet tooth

Passover dessert recipes

Passover is a weeklong festival celebrating freedom and spring. The holiday commemorates the Jewish people escaping slavery from Egypt more than 4,000 years ago. It's also a wonderful time for culinary challenges, experiments and delights.

Passover's symbolic foods

According to tradition the Jews had to leave Egypt in such a hurry, they did not have time for the bread to rise. To commemorate this event, Jews eat unleavened bread called matzah. Traditional families refrain from eating all wheat products except matzah for eight days. European Orthodox families don't eat any risen flour, barley, corn or rice products. Jewish people eat many symbolic foods during the Seder. Around the world customs vary, but everywhere Jewish people eat matzah -- unleavened bread.

This does not mean observant Jewish people don't eat desserts or cookies or cakes or candy during Passover. Passover is the festival of spring and freedom. The theme is remembrance rather than denial.

On the contrary, all kinds of highly inventive sweets and desserts abound. Jewish cooks have learned to bake with matzo meal, matzo cake meal and farfel. They have also created many flourless desserts. Passover is a wonderful time to experiment and try new culinary challenges.

Directions:In a saucepan, stir together sugar, orange juice, ginger and vanilla. Bring to a boil. Turn to simmer for five minutes. Add one diced pear to syrup. Leave on low heat and cover for three minutes or until pear is soft. Pour into bowls, garnish with sliced strawberries and crushed walnuts.